M.L.B. Playoffs: How the Yankees Beat the Twins in the Wild-Card Game

The Yankees are headed to the American League division series after beating the Minnesota Twins, 8-4, in the wild-card game.

It was a frenetic start to the game, with both starting pitchers allowing three runs in the first inning, but a strong performance from the Yankees’ bullpen and three home runs by the team’s batters, were enough to get them past the underdog Twins.

It was the first playoff win for the Yankees since 2012. Next stop: Cleveland.

Luis Severino, the Yankees’ young ace, tied a dubious franchise postseason record by recording just one out before being lifted for a reliever. He was tagged for four hits and three earned runs, looking uncomfortable from the first batter. Had it not been a winner-take-all game, he may have been given more leeway, but with the season on the line, Joe Girardi did not take any chances and turned to a series of relievers to get his team through the game.

The Yankees’ offense did not wait long before evening things up against Ervin Santana. Didi Gregorius sent a screaming line drive over the right field wall for a three-run home run in the first. Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge also homered in the game, and it was too much for Minnesota, with the team’s postseason record against the Yankees dropping to 2-13.

If there was a negative of the game for the Yankees it was Severino’s ineffectiveness, forcing its bullpen to pick up 8 2/3 innings, potentially limiting their effectiveness going forward. But the innings were relatively painless, with Chad Green allowing one earned run while David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle and Aroldis Chapman held the Twins scoreless the rest of the way.

With the win, the Yankees earned the right to move onto the division series where they will face the top-seeded Cleveland Indians. Game 1 will be on Thursday night in Cleveland, with Trevor Bauer set to start for the Indians.

Here’s an inning-by-inning breakdown of the wild-card game:

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Luis Severino left the game in the first inning, after throwing just 29 pitches.CreditChang W. Lee/The New York Times

Top 1st: Severino Knocked Out by 2 Home Runs

The American League wild-card game between the Twins and Yankees began at 8:10 p.m. Eastern when Luis Severino threw a 99 mile-per-hour fastball past Brian Dozier for strike one. Severino fell behind in the count 3-1, and then Dozier took advantage taking another 99 mph fastball over the left field wall, giving Minnesota a 1-0 lead.

Severino got some help from Todd Frazier with a nice diving catch of a foul ball off of Joe Mauer’s bat, but then he walked Jorge Polanco. After a first pitch ball to Eddie Rosario, Yankees’ pitching coach Larry Rothschild visited the mound in hopes of calming him down. It did not work. Rosario hit a line-drive home run to right-field, stretching Minnesota’s lead to 3-0.

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Brian Dozier (2) hit a lead-off home run for the Twins.CreditBen Solomon for The New York Times

With just one out in the game, and his team’s ace on the mound, Joe Girardi got Chad Green up in the team’s bullpen, just in case, and Severino gave up yet another hit, with Eduardo Escobar singling to center. Max Kepler doubled to right, sending Escobar to third, and Severino’s day was over, with Girardi unable to take any chances on a day where his young star clearly did not have his best stuff.

The damage was done, but Chad Green kept it from getting worse. Luis Severino had left quite a mess for Green, with runners on second and third and just one out, but the reliable reliever struck out Byron Buxton and Jason Castro to limit the Twins to a 3-0 lead. The final line on Severino was 1/3 of an inning, 4 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk and 2 home runs. He threw just 29 pitches.

Bottom 1st: Didi Gregorius Ties Game With 3-Run Homer

It is a tie game after Didi Gregorius homered to right-center on a one-out fastball, driving in Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge.

Gardner had led off against Ervin Santana, drawing a walk, setting up Judge’s postseason debut. The big right fielder showed off his big swing and his patience, taking a few hacks while working a full-count, and then he proved there was more in his repertoire than just home runs by singling softly to center on a slider in the dirt. Gary Sanchez fouled out, but then it was Gregorius, the Yankees’ shortstop, who evened the score with a ball that exited the park at more than 100 miles per hour.

Paul Molitor showed more faith in his ace than Joe Girardi had in Luis Severino, leaving Minnesota’s bullpen quiet after Gregorius’s blast. The Twins’ manager was mostly rewarded for his faith in Santana, with Starlin Castro flying out to center and Greg Bird drawing a walk before Aaron Hicks ended the inning with a groundout to second. Santana’s day will likely be short, however, as he’s already up to 41 pitches.

Top 2nd: Chad Green Shuts Down Twins

So much for all that action of the first inning. Chad Green struck out Robbie Grossman and Brian Dozier, bringing him to four consecutive strikeouts, before getting Joe Mauer to fly out to center to end the half-inning. Green needed just 18 pitches, which was quite a change from the first inning where the teams combined to throw 81 pitches and allow six runs.

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Twins center fielder Byron Buxton makes a catch off a ball hit by Todd Frazier in the second inning. Buxton would leave the game in the fourth inning with an injury suffered on the play.CreditAdam Hunger/USA Today Sports, via Reuters

Bottom 2nd: Brett Gardner Gives Yankees a Lead

The Yankees are on top 4-3 thanks to a solo home run by Brett Gardner. Ervin Santana was back on the mound to start the inning, despite having thrown 42 pitches in the first, and he started things well by getting two quick outs to center. But Gardner sent a 3-2 pitch over the right field fence and likely started the second-guessing on Molitor’s decision to leave his starter in the game.

Santana retired Aaron Judge on a ground ball to third, but he has thrown 64 pitches, and the Twins are down by a run in a win-or-go-home game, so a pitching change for the third inning is likely.

Lost in the shuffle of Santana giving up the lead was Byron Buxton, the game’s best center fielder, making a sensational leaping catch at the wall on a ball hit by Todd Frazier.

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Starlin Castro had Max Kepler out at second base in the third inning, but Jorge Polanco scored on the play, tying the game.CreditChang W. Lee/The New York Times

Top 3rd: Twins Tie Game With Small Ball

It is a tie game once again, as Byron Buxton managed to get a run in on a fielder’s choice. Chad Green had loaded the bases with one out, and was pulled with his pitch-count at 41. Joe Girardi made the change to David Robertson to try to get out of the jam, and while he got a ground ball with the potential for an inning-ending double-play, Buxton simply runs too fast and easily beat the throw to first.

Robertson struck out Jason Castro, ending the inning, but the damage was done with the run being charged to Green.

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Greg Bird singles to drive in Gary Sanchez in the bottom of the third.CreditChang W. Lee/The New York Times

Bottom 3rd: Greg Bird Helps Yankees Regain Lead

The Yankees are back on top, 5-4, thanks to a double by Gary Sanchez and a two-out single by Greg Bird. Jose Berrios came on in relief of Ervin Santana to start the inning and immediately allowed a double to Sanchez. He struck out Didi Gregorius and Starlin Castro, but Bird crushed a 3-1 fastball to right field and Sanchez, a catcher, easily scored from second.

Aaron Hicks tapped a ball to shortstop that was slow enough for an infield single, but Berrios got out of the inning when Jacoby Ellsbury fouled out down the third base line. The Twins are undoubtedly hoping to get a long outing from Berrios, who is likely the team’s future ace starter, but a 27-pitch inning in which he allowed the Yankees to take a lead was not a great start.

Top 4th: David Robertson Quiets Twins’ Bats

There was finally a quiet half-inning. David Robertson allowed a single to Brian Dozier, but got an inning-ending double-play from Joe Mauer, preserving the Yankees’ lead.

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Aaron Judge rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the fourth inning.CreditChang W. Lee/The New York Times

Bottom 4th: Judge Has His October Moment

Aaron Judge has his first postseason moment. The big right fielder hit a two-run home run to left field, stretching the Yankees’ lead to 7-4. The hit was estimated at 386 feet and had an exit velocity of 107 miles per hour.

The inning started with a strikeout by Todd Frazier, but a single by Gardner set up Judge for his first career home run in the playoffs. Jose Berrios settled down and got out of the inning, but is now up to 49 pitches and has not proved to be the answer against the Yankees.

In worse news for the Twins, Byron Buxton was removed for a defensive replacement to start the half-inning. Zack Granite replaced the young star, which is a huge downgrade on both offense and defense, and may signal that Buxton has lingering effects from his crash into the wall on Todd Frazier’s flyout in the second inning.

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Yankees fans had plenty to cheer about on Tuesday.CreditBen Solomon for The New York Times

Top 5th: Robertson Settles In, Shuts Down Twins

Another quiet inning for the Twins’ offense. David Robertson struck out Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario before allowing a two-out single to Eduardo Escobar. The single didn’t amount to anything as Max Kepler fouled out to third ending the inning.

Considering the brutal start by Luis Severino, which tied the Yankees record for shortest postseason start, Chad Green and Robertson have done an excellent job getting the Yankees through the early innings. Robertson is still at just 31 pitches, and could presumably pitch more, but asking a one-inning reliever to pitch in a fourth inning might be too extreme for Joe Girardi’s taste.

Bottom 5th: Berrios Gets a Clean Inning

Jose Berrios retired Starlin Castro on a popup to first, struck out Greg Bird and got Aaron Hicks to pop out to third, giving Berrios his first perfect inning. The Twins updated Byron Buxton’s status, saying the centerfielder’s back tightened up after he crashed into the wall in the second inning and he felt the tightness while swinging in the third inning, so the team took him out for precautionary reasons.

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David Robertson reacts after Gary Sanchez was hit by a foul ball in the sixth inning.CreditChang W. Lee/The New York Times

Top 6th: Twins Threaten, but Come Up Short

David Robertson’s day was done with two outs in the sixth inning, but the former closer had done his part to send the Yankees to the A.L.D.S. with a career-high 3 1/3 innings.

The inning started with Zack Granite, who had come into the game to replace the injured Byron Buxton, sneaking a single past Starlin Castro. Robertson was unfazed and went on to strike out Jason Castro and Robbie Grossman. Joe Girardi visited the mound, and decided to let Robertson pitch to one more batter, but a walk to Brian Dozier ended his day. Tommy Kahnle came in and got Joe Mauer to fly out to deep left, getting a brief rise from the crowd in Yankee Stadium as a few more feet on the blast could have tied the game.

Gary Sanchez, who regularly struggles with balls in the dirt, continued his misadventures in the half-inning with a wild pitch allowing Granite to advance to first and a brief interruption caused when another ball in the dirt ricocheted off of Sanchez’s groin.

Bottom 6th: Pitchers Finally Take Control

Neither team has scored in consecutive innings after they had combined for 11 runs in the first four innings. Trevor Hildenberger, a 26-year-old right-hander, came in for Jose Berrios and retired Jacoby Ellsbury on a grounder to second, Todd Frazier on a fly ball to right, and Brett Gardner on a grounder to third.

Top 7th: Tommy Kahnle Keeps Twins in Check

Tommy Kahnle, who recorded one out in the sixth inning, was back out to start the seventh and he retired Jorge Polanco on a fly ball to left that Brett Gardner caught in foul territory. Eddie Rosario also flied out to Gardner and Eduardo Escobar grounded out to second to end the inning.

With Chad Green, David Robertson and Kahnle combining to pitch 6 2/3 innings, allowing just one run, they have put the Yankees in a strong position to win. The Yankees are two innings away from advancing to the A.L.D.S. with Chasen Shreve, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman all still available in the bullpen.

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Aaron Judge rounds third in the bottom of the seventh inning.CreditChang W. Lee/The New York Times

Bottom 7th: Yankees Add an Insurance Run

The Yankees stretched their lead to 8-4 thanks to some aggressive baserunning by Aaron Judge and a bases-loaded walk.

Judge showed some athleticism in the inning. He drew a walk to lead off the inning and then was running on the pitch when Gary Sanchez singled to left. Thanks to the early start, Judge was able to get to third, with a wide throw very nearly allowing him to break for home. Didi Gregorius was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Trevor Hildenberger retired Starlin Castro on a fly ball to right.

With Greg Bird coming up, Paul Molitor pulled Hildenberger in favor of Taylor Rogers, a 26-year-old left-hander, who struck out the Yankees’ first baseman. Rogers was replaced by Alan Busenitz, who walked Hicks to score Judge, but then got Jacoby Ellsbury to fly out to left to end the inning.

Top 8th: Yankees’ Bullpen Cruises

All of the breaks are going for the Yankees at this point. Tommy Kahnle retired Max Kepler on a pop-up to third and then benefited from some foolish baserunning from Zack Granite. Granite hit a grounder to first, and Kahnle, who was covering the bag, was unable to handle Greg Bird’s throw. Luckily for the Yankees, Granite missed the bag, so Starlin Castro was able to pick up the ball and tag him for the second out. Kahnle struck out Ehire Adrianza to end the inning.

Bottom 8th: Yankees Hand the Game Over to Aroldis Chapman

The Yankees are three outs away from moving on to the American League division series. It was a quiet eighth for New York’s offense, with Todd Frazier grounding out to the pitcher, Brett Gardner flying out to right and Aaron Judge flying out to center. Aroldis Chapman will be on the mound for the ninth to try to close out the victory in a non-save situation.

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Aroldis Chapman pitching in the ninth.CreditChang W. Lee/The New York Times

Top 9th: Chapman Closes the Door

The Twins had no answer for Aroldis Chapman. The Yankees’ closer started things off with a 101 mile-per-hour fastball that was well out of the strike zone. But he needed just three more pitches to strike out Robbie Grossman. Chapman then struck out Brian Dozier on seven pitches, allowed a single to Joe Mauer, and then slammed the door with a three-pitch strikeout of Jorge Polanco.